IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• CRP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT – Light disking and grazing is available until March 15, 2027.
• ARC-PLC ELECTION and ENROLLMENT - 2026 crop year – September 16 through December 11, 2026; 2027 crop year – November 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027
• LIVESTOCK FORAGE PROGRAM - Kiowa County eligible for 5-month payment. Apply before March 1, 2027.
• FALL ACREAGE REPORTING DEADLINE - November 15, 2026, All fall seeded crops will need to be reported to crop insurance and/or FSA by the date of November 15th.
• NON-INSURED ASSISTANCE PROGRAM or NAP - Sales closing date for native grass and alfalfa is December 1, 2026. Cost is $325.00 per producer, per crop.

VISIT Farmers.gov for more information regarding deadlines and programs available through FSA and NRCS

FSA IS HIRING!

POSITION AVAILABLE

The Kiowa County Farm Service Agency has a full-time permanent Program Analyst position open. Annual salary ranges from $40,736 - $80,243 (CO-05 through CO-09) depending on the qualifications of the applicant. This position is located at the Kiowa County FSA Office, 409 E Lowell Ave, Eads, CO 81036.

Apply online at www.usajobs.gov, Job Announcement: FSACO-13095845-CO-27-CJ beginning October 21, 2026 through November 4, 2026. The entire announcement and all instructions can be found online.

For questions, please call Dawna Weirich, CED at 719-438-5851 ext 2.

FSA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

COUNTY COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

It’s that time of the year again for County Committee elections. In Kiowa County, this year Local Administrative Area 1 or LAA 1 is up for election. The following producer has been nominated and is running for re-election to the County Committee.

Jay Specht is the nominee and incumbent for LAA-1 in Kiowa County.  Jay is a life-long Kiowa County native, having been born and raised in the Sheridan Lake area and has continued his family’s tradition of farming.   Jay and his wife Susan have 8 children and 7 grandchildren. 

Jay farms alongside his son Jason and grows wheat, millet, grain sorghum, and feed.  Jay is willing to serve if elected. 

2026 ARCPLC ELECTION and ENROLLMENT

ARCPLC election and enrollment are now underway. The office will complete a multi-year contract that will reduce the workload for the office in future years. If an operator enrolls into a multi-year contract, that operator can change the election during the applicable crop year election and enrollment process.

• 2026 – Sept. 16 through Dec. 11, 2026
• 2027– Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027

Below are the ARC-CO benchmark yields and prices. Benchmark yields for 2026 are yields from 2020-2024, the 2025 yields ARE NOT present in the 2026 benchmark; 2025 yields will be reflected in the 2027 program year data

For Price Loss Coverage or PLC for 2026 currently, the projected PLC rates are as follows:

• Wheat - .05 bushel
• Grain Sorghum - .17

Corn, barley, oats and sunflowers are currently projecting zero. Those are projected, not final rates. The commodity must go through an entire marketing year before the final price is determined.

The office has a document with links for online calculators from difference universities. If you are interested in receiving that document in your email; contact the office and it can be emailed to you